See How She Runs
by AJsHellCat
Summary: [full summary inside. Rated M for language and violence.]
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: because I'm random and always need to write down story ideas when they come to me, I give you this. I hope you enjoy!

Plot: Streetwise cop Bronx Meridian Chase escapes into the night after suffering at the hands of a brutal serial killer that she had tracked down and intended to put behind bars. Bloody, scared, and running for her life, she never anticipates that she could encounter someone that same night that would save it at all costs…

_He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!_

Those were the words going through Bronx Meridian Chase's head that very second. She was going to another one of _his_ victims…a casualty of the very man she'd worked so hard to hunt down.

Well…she'd found him but had never anticipated that the tables would turn. It had all happened so fast…one moment she was bursting into the room, shouting "police!" the next, she was gagged and hanging by shackles and chains in an abandoned cabin awaiting her own demise.

The massive headache Bronx had woken up with told her that he'd hit her. With what, she didn't know. All she did know was that her head hurt…bad.

But now, that was the least of her problems…

He'd been torturing her for the better part of the evening now. Shallow cuts adorned her body, along with burn marks and several bruises. Every time she moved, even slightly, pain would explode through her body.

Oh, how it hurt so bloody bad…

_Soon,_ her mind told her, _you won't feel it anymore…He'll kill you…then it'll be over…_

"Having fun, Miss Chase?" The man asked while he twirled a long, serrated knife in his hand.

Bronx didn't answer. She simply glared at him, trying not to let him see how fucking terrified she really was. The son of a bitch wouldn't get that pleasure from her.

The man lifted up a corner of her shirt, revealing a particularly nasty cut he'd given her earlier that evening. He made a tsking sound, much like a parent chastising a small child.

"You stopped bleeding." He stated simply. Bronx held her breath as she watched him raise that knife of his…Oh, god…the blood on it, she thought, was hers…

With a malicious smile, the man used his knife to reopen the wound. Blood spilled anew down her already bloodstained shirt and slacks.

Bronx gritted her teeth to keep from screaming. He wouldn't get to see how much this hurt her, either.

The man studied his handiwork, seemingly pleased with himself.

While he did that, Bronx thought of several choice words for him and what she was feeling. It was hollow comfort, but at least it would keep her sane for little longer.

He turned his back to her for a moment, facing a long table with several rusty and newly polished instruments that didn't for a second leave their purpose unknown. They were for inflicting pain.

Bronx let her eyes widen slightly when she saw him head towards his fireplace where she knew he had hot pokers sitting in the coals.

_No! No! No! No! _

With horror raging inside her, he crept towards her with one of them in his hands.

The end of the metal rod was bent into an all familiar shape. It was a number 13. The same number he'd burned onto his victim's chests before he killed them.

Unable to help herself, her drive for survival took over. Bronx struggled madly against her bonds, hoping against hope they would somehow loosen or perhaps break.

The man smiled evilly. "_Now_ the tough cop struggles."

Bronx growled at him, still struggling.

That's when she heard a metallic creak sound. Bronx tugged as hard as she could with all the strength she had left inside of her. She was rewarded with the sounds of the shackles that held her arms in the air by her wrists clatter to the floor. The ones that bound her feet parted from the floor moments later.

Knowing time was precious, she ran as fast as she could towards the door and out into the night, despite her body's protests. Rain hit her hard as she ran, but Bronx didn't care. She was free...finally.

"You little bitch!" she heard him shout behind her as he gave chase.

Bronx ran into the dark, forbidding forest at the end of the cabin's backyard. Sticks and rocks cut her bare feet as she went. A distant boom of thunder rumbled in the distance and then the whole forest was eerily quiet, except for the sounds of her and the madman's footsteps.

Even though Bronx wasn't an overly religious person, she sent a prayer up to God to beg him to let her survive this nightmare. Because if she did, she would make the man pay for what he did to the other girls and to her.

_Keeping running, Bronx…Keep running! _ Her mind encouraged and so she did.

Just then, something white caught her eye in the distance. As it drew nearer, she realized it was a van. A sign nearby told her that she was at 'Camp Wildwood site 4.'

_People!_ She thought, happily. _There would be people here!_

After all it was summertime and this campground if she remembered correctly, would be full of campers.

"Hello?" she called out into the rain. Sounds of movement came from inside the van, alerting Bronx. Quickly, she came to the driver's side window and pounded on it hard.

A face cast in shadow was behind the wheel, apparently talking to someone in the back. They appeared to hear her pounding and quickly rolled down the window.

"Hey, miss…are you alright?"

"No," Bronx said, her voice shaking. This was no time for the cop bravado she was famous for…This was the time for her to simply be a scared woman.

"Someone's chasing me…someone who wants to kill me."

The stranger immediately opened the passenger side door and let Bronx in. Quickly, she closed the door and locked it.

"Thank you…" she whispered, despite it sounding rather feeble.

"No problem." The stranger said, getting the van started.

Bronx sat and shivered, wondering just where the man was now. Had he seen where she'd gone? Probably, after all, he'd been right behind her or at least she thought he'd been.

Bronx risked a look out the window, but saw nothing but darkness and rain. Lightning struck soundlessly, illuminating the forest as best it could. Still, there was no sign of him. Finally, she let out a small sigh of true relief.

"My name is Leonardo."

She jumped, momentarily forgetting that someone was sitting next to her.

"Bronx," she answered, "Bronx Meridian Chase: NYPD Detective, Homicide unit."

"It's nice to meet you, Officer Chase."

Bronx warmed her hands by the van's vents. "You can call me Bronx. My full title makes me feel stuffy."

Leonardo, as he'd introduced himself, reached up to turn on an overhead light.

"Now, have you got any…?"

Before he could finish that statement, Bronx gasped. Before her now was a huge, blue bandana-wearing…turtle?!

"Uh…it's not Halloween yet. It's in a week."

Leonardo gave her an odd look. "Yeah, I know that…"

"Then why are wearing a turtle costume?"

"Costume?" he asked, raising an eyebrow ridge.

Bronx felt a wave of dizziness come over her. "Not…a…costume?"

Leonardo noticed this. "It's a long story I'll share with you once we get you to safety."

That was the last thing Bronx heard before she lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Since I forgot to mention this in my first note, I'll mention it now: this is not part of my series (Return to You and Two Silver Sai) this one is independent of them, just so those who might read this that have read the others won't get confused.

Disclaimer: (yeah, I forgot this too…sorry, folks!) I don't own the TMNT or anything like that…but by Merlin's beard I will own Michelangelo! (I do, however, own Bronx.)

Bronx groaned as the black numbness left her and harsh light and the beginnings of pain set in.

"Hey! She's wakin' up, Leo!" A new, thick New York accented voice said.

Bronx heard the sounds of quick footsteps which stopped at her side.

"Welcome back, Bronx. How are you feeling?" It was the familiar voice that spoke to her now. What was his name again? Leo…Leonardo! That's what it was.

"Hurting…pain." She croaked out.

Leonardo was calling for some water when Bronx decided to slowly open her eyes. Two blurry figures came into her vision. Slowly, but surely, they focused.

And there was the same big, blue bandana wearing _turtle! _

Only this time, he had a companion who looked much the same as he did only his bandana was red.

"Turtles…you're both…turtles."

The red bandana wearing one shrugged. "Yeah, that's what we are."

"Don't worry," Leonardo said softly, trying to calm her nerves, "we won't hurt you or anything. We're just trying to help you."

Oddly enough, she did relax. How or why she didn't know. Maybe it was the way he spoke…his tone had a way of caressing her that was almost…sensual.

_Bronx! You can not have thoughts like that about a turtle or a huge oddball looking one like he is either! _

_Maybe my head got knocked harder than I thought…_

He was dabbing a cool cloth on her forehead now.

"If you don't mind me askin', what happened to ya for you to get all those injuries?" New York Accent guy asked.

"It's alright…uh…"

"Name's Raphael or Raph for short."

"Okay…as long as you tell me where I am and why in the hell there are two fucking huge turtles tending to me right now."

Raphael grinned at her language use, which was so like his own. "It's a deal, kiddo."

"I haven't been called that since I was about 12 years old." Bronx mused.

"The answer to the 'Where' part of your question is you're in our home, which is some of the old parts of the New York sewer system and subway that aren't in use anymore."

It was Leo that had given her that tidbit of information. Raphael was currently putting what she determined were ice packs on her legs in various spots.

As she became more and more awake, she noticed that they had put bandages and or band-aids on all of her cuts and burns. Each was done with care and expertise. Bronx knew this because she'd had to put several on her fellow officers when they were injured on the job.

"Okay…I'll get to my 'why' now." Bronx took a deep breath before she began her story.

"You see, a series of violent murders have been taking place in the Bronx over the past few months involving young teenage girls. I was put in charge of the investigation. It took months of hard work, but we eventually obtained a suspect and were able to link said suspect to each of the murders. We tracked the suspect to an abandoned cabin…"

Bronx felt herself tense up as the memories of the previous night returned.

"Take it easy." Leonardo said softly, noticing what was happening. After all, he'd seen firsthand how scared she'd looked that night.

Bronx felt herself loosen again. She was really going to have to find out how he did that…

"It was me and two fellow officers that went in…Damn…the bastard must have known we were coming because I got struck on the head the instant I entered the cabin…"

"I awoke and found myself chained up…he-he…" Bronx reached out and clasped Leonardo's hand. His three-fingered hand she thought off-handedly. Still, it felt oddly good to have the contact. It made the telling of her terror that little bit easier.

"He hurt you, didn't he?" Leonardo didn't pull away at her gesture. Instead, he placed his other hand on top of hers.

Bronx nodded. "Yeah, he did…for hours…just like the other girls…"

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I-I managed to escape…as you know…I-I was so glad when I saw your van…I thought, 'I'm going to make it.' It was arguably the best moment of euphoria I've ever had."

"Euphoria?" Leonardo asked.

"Happiness." Bronx answered for him and smiled for the first time since…well…before the murders began.

Leonardo smiled back at her. She really was a lovely woman despite her bruises, he decided.

Her hair was black and reached down to her waist. Her eyes were a dark brown and seemed to stare straight into his soul whenever she looked at him. Her mouth was full and probably very soft…he shook those thoughts. That was dangerous territory and strictly forbidden.

He was a turtle… and a mutant one at that and she was a human. They simply didn't mix. Well, not in a romantic fashion, anyway. They had April, but she was just a good friend of theirs, nothing more.

But the way Bronx was looking at him he sure as hell wished it was allowed.

"Now it's your turn, Leonardo. What's your story?"

Leonardo smiled at that and launched into the tale of how he and his brothers came to be.

"Well, we weren't always like how we are now…we started out as your typical average turtle."

Bronx's eyes sparkled with interest. "So, something made you this way?"

"Yeah," Raphael interjected, "that's right."

"Anyway, we were in a glass bowl, being carried across the street by a boy who had to be no more than about 8 years old when a truck whizzed by him, causing him to trip and fall. The bowl broke over a sewer drain and down we went. We landed in his odd, glowing ooze we now know was mutagen. In no time flat, we, well, mutated into what we are today. And oh yeah, there isn't just Raph and I. There are actually two more of us: Donny and Mikey or Donatello and Michelangelo."

"Those are all renaissance painters…if my memory serves me right." Bronx said, finding herself fascinated with their story.

The sounds of clacking could be heard approaching the makeshift bedroom. The door opened and there, standing in the doorway was a giant rat wearing a robe.

Bronx's eyes went wide. She_ hated_ rats!

"Holy shit! A giant rat! You didn't mention _that_ part, Leo!"

Said rat only smiled. "My name is Splinter. I was once human, like you are. But, when I found the turtles I too fell victim to the ooze and became a rat."

The rat, she noticed despite her surprise, had a distinct Japanese accent.

"Now," Splinter said, addressing Raphael and Leo, "it is time for your evening training session."

"Training?" Bronx asked while Raph and Leo stood.

"Master Splinter teaches us Ninjutsu, which is a form of martial arts. We train everyday with him at around this time." Leonardo explained.

"So…essentially you're telling me you're mutant ninja turtles?"

"_Teenage _mutant ninja turtles." Raphael corrected Bronx, grinning.

"Oh boy, I must have been hit harder than I thought…" Bronx reached up and touched her forehead. She winced when her fingers came in contact with a rather large and tender bump.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but I assure you, again, that you're safe."

Bronx watched with interest as Leonardo grabbed two long and sleek swords and slid them into sheathes attached to the back of his shell.

Noticing this, Leonardo walked over to her and unsheathed one of his swords. Laying it across his two hands, he held it out so she could see it.

"It's called a Katana." Leonardo explained.

Bronx studied the sword. It was well-used, but still beautiful. It had a long, slightly curved blade and a blue leather wrapped hilt.

Leonardo marveled at her interest in his sword. She touched it delicately, avoiding the sharp edges. Call him crazy, but the way she was caressing it seemed…erotic to him.

He watched as Bronx's hand traveled down the blade and brushed across his fingers. The contact, he was forced to admit, was lovely. Shaking his head slightly, he once again sheathed his sword.

"You can watch us, if you like. That is, if you think you can move."

Bronx nodded, no longer in shock over these odd creatures. That feeling was replaced with interest and wonder.

Bronx followed Leonardo, or more accurately hobbled since she still hurt, to a large training room filled with mats, a couple of punching bags, and a large wooden case which was stocked with several kinds of weapons.

Raphael was in the room already, doing some stretches. A moment later, two more turtles that Bronx didn't recognize came into the room. One of them wore a purple bandana and the other an orange one.

The one with the purple bandana introduced himself as Donatello, and the other one with the orange, Michelangelo.

"How's the melon?" Michelangelo asked, gesturing at her head.

Bronx smiled at his choice of words. "It still hurts, but thanks to Leonardo, I've had some good TLC so it's doing better than when I first woke up."

"Yeah, he's good with that sort of thing."

Bronx found a comfortable spot to sit out of the way of the training brothers. She flinched as she felt a tinge of pain on her lower right side, where her biggest bandage was.

That was going to hurt for a while.

Those thoughts drove her mind back to when she should go back above. Preferably soon, she figured, since she knew there would be people that would notice her gone. For instance, her boss Chief Baker who'd sent her on her mission in the first place.

She would use her cellular phone to contact him…that is, if the bastard hadn't stolen it back at the cabin…

Bronx shuddered at the fresh memories.

Pushing them aside, she focused on the turtles in front of her.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: if you wondered as to why the killer's name wasn't revealed back in the earlier chapter, you'll find out later…ha! Don't worry…there's a method to my madness.

_She got away…she got away…she got away! _ The man thought angrily, over and over again. That wasn't supposed to happen. They are never allowed to get free. They were women…not humans…they're not supposed to know how to do anything like that…

To top it off, he'd had to relocate because of the cop. The cabin was no longer safe for him. He now stood in an old beach home that had long been forgotten because of the harsh weather that it had been subjected to over the years.

Growling, he turned to the new table he'd laid his 'tools' as he called them, on.

Each was now cleaned, sharpened, and or replaced as he'd needed them to be. However, the ones he'd used on the cop were still stained with her blood.

He stood there, silent, and relived that night and smiled slightly.

She wouldn't be that lucky next time…

Next time…she would die…just like the others…

"Be safe…let us know how the case goes." Leonardo said, as he and Bronx stood topside right next to the manhole the two of them had just climbed out of.

Bronx smiled at his concern. "I will…after all, you told me you and your brothers are going to be keeping an eye on me."

Leonardo grinned back at her and they simply looked at one another for a long moment without saying anything.

"See you around, Leonardo…and thank you." Bronx said and then walked down the alley and out of sight.

Leonardo watched her leave. She still hobbled slightly, but she was more or less still intact.

It would take a tough woman, he thought, to endure what she did and still be standing. Bronx, he decided, fit that mold. Maybe more so since she still wanted to catch the guy and make sure he paid for what he did.

However, Leonardo had to admit he'd been reluctant to let her go that morning. Despite the fact that he knew this sort of thing was her job, he still worried about her. That was strange considering the fact that he'd only met her the previous night.

Still, it appeared she'd made an impression on the blue-masked turtle.

Bronx walked back to her station, still amazed by all that had happened. Who would have thought that running for her life would result in meeting such an unusual group of individuals? She sure as hell didn't.

However, after she'd gotten over the fact that said individuals were giant ninja turtles and a giant rat, she'd become fascinated with them…especially Leonardo.

Bronx thought back to when she'd been watching their training session. They'd all been so graceful, so precise in their movements. Though she'd watched all of them, her eye constantly wandered to the sword-wielding turtle.

She had been aware of him as a woman is aware of a man…and how the bloody hell was that possible?

Maybe she was losing her mind…that was a possibility. What sane person would lust after an altered member of another species?

Too many questions, so little answers…

Well, one thing was for sure…she wouldn't tell her superiors about them…they'd think she was crazy and have her in a straight jacket faster than she could draw her gun…and that was pretty damned fast.

The station came into view a moment or two later and she walked inside.

"Bronx!" her secretary, Evelyn, who was a short but feisty 60 year old woman, shouted.

"Are you alright? We were so worried about you last night!"

"Yes, I'm okay, Evie." Bronx said, using her nickname for the woman.

She narrowed her eyes. "I hardly believe that, Bronx! You look like you went one on one with a wild animal!" She gestured at all of her bandages.

Bronx bit her lip. Evie certainly had a way with words. But, in essence, that was true. The man had reminded her of one.

"Bronx!" another voice shouted, but this time it was her boss: Chief Baker.

He was pretty much the polar opposite of Evie, except for the fact that they were both in their sixties. He was 6 feet of pure muscle and was often compared to bear by her co-workers both in size and temperament. However, with Bronx, he treated her like she was one of his four children.

"Good lord! What happened that night? Are you okay?" He asked, looking over her visible bandages.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"She is not!" Evie shouted from her desk.

"I can see that, Evelyn." Chief Baker said.

"Get her to tell you about what happened and then send her home! She looks like hell!" The old woman instructed.

Chief Baker, amused by the old woman's desire to command him, simply nodded.

They both dearly loved Evelyn and she loved them ever since she'd begun working for them in her early thirties.

The old woman had immediately taken Bronx under her wing when Bronx had started working for the police 10 years ago.

It was like having a surrogate grandmother, Bronx mused.

Chief Baker steered her into his office where he instructed Bronx to recount the evening. As she did, she felt the same terror she'd felt last night start to creep back inside of her.

Curiously, the voice of Leonardo soothing her came into her mind.

_It's alright…you're going to be okay…_

Bronx took a deep breath and let it out. It had happened again…she'd relaxed just as easily as last night once again.

_Amazing… _

When her story was finished, Chief Baker had a serious look on his face that she'd rarely seen. Bronx could probably count on her one hand the number of incidents that had caused that very expression.

"Do you think you can keep going with this case?" He asked, after a long moment of silence.

Bronx stared at her boss. This hadn't been the reaction she had been expecting. She had assumed he wouldn't give her an option and just pull her off the case…yet here he was, asking if she could keep going…like she had a choice…

"Yes, I think I can…I want to keep him from doing this to other women." No statement could have been truer at this point.

"If I catch one whiff that you're trying to bend and or break the rules…you're pulled. Understood? It's only because you're the best Homicide Detective in the city that I'm letting you have this option."

"Thanks, Chief." Bronx said, and meant it.

The old man's features softened in a way that he reminded her of her grandpa. Feeling her heart warm for the man, she stood and hugged him.

"Now go home as Evelyn instructed."

Bronx chuckled and left his office and headed to the parking lot where her Jeep was parked.

Just as she was reaching into her pocket for her car keys, she saw something tucked under her windshield wiper.

Odd, she thought, as she leaned forward to see what it was.

It was a piece of paper, folded in half. Curious, she retrieved it from where it had been placed and unfolded it.

A message was scrawled on it.

_**Just you wait, tough cop…you still have to die…**_

_**13.**_

Bronx's blood went instantly cold.

So, he'd watched her…

Bronx suddenly wished she had a gun with her as she scanned the parking lot.

Where was he?

There appeared to be nobody around but herself. Bronx looked around one more time before climbing into her Jeep and locking the doors. She was not about to take chances. A lifetime of growing up in the Bronx, for which she was named, and those years of police work had taught her that.

Bronx set the infamous letter on her passenger seat and drove home.

"You won't get away with this, you bastard." She grumbled and then turned on the radio, hoping it would drown out the fear that niggled at the back of her brain.

When she arrived home, she tossed her keys on the table and shrugged her jacket off, letting it rest across the back of one of her kitchen chairs. Her house was modest, but it was everything she wanted.

It had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a small kitchen. Each was decorated simply, except for her room. That's where she set her favourite "knick knacks" as her mother called them.

Bronx smiled as she heard a familiar meow. Her white and grey cat, Rufus entered the room.

"Hey, cat. How are you?" she asked the feline, reaching down to pet her. Rufus purred loudly, showing her approval of the attention she was receiving from her owner.

After attending to her cat, Bronx decided that warm, comfortable pajamas were in order. She made a beeline for her room and sighed as she entered it. This was one place she always felt safe.

Bronx walked over to her drawer and pulled out two guns that would have done Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider video games and movies proud. Well, that might have something to do with it.

After making sure they were loaded, she set them back in her drawer and then turned and looked at herself in her full-length mirror.

She wasn't wearing her cop uniform as she had been that night. Instead, she was fitted with clothes that Leonardo had given her that apparently were left there by their friend, April as he'd told her.

Bronx smiled as she thought of the turtle for the umpteenth time that day. She hoped that he was outside, somewhere…watching out for her…

This made her laugh. She'd never been a sap or had romantic thoughts like this. Sure, she'd dated, but none of those men had ever incited the need to be whimsical.

"So, what do I do about this guy, Rufus?" she asked her cat as she entered her bedroom and hopped on the bed.

"I mean…he's…well, you won't believe this…but a turtle! And not just your typical pet shop variety but a huge, human-like, mutant turtle!" The cat tilted her head to the side, as if confused.

Bronx scratched her behind her ears. "Yeah, that was my reaction too. But…he makes me feel…funny…"

Rufus meowed and purred.

"I guess this means your mom is going nuts, eh?"

With one last pet, she finally dug out her pajamas and put them on. They were her favourite Navy blue flannel ones that she'd gotten for Christmas the previous year.

Once she had them on, she got into bed and fell asleep, thinking of a certain blue-masked turtle…


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: thanks to a reviewer, I realized that this TMNT story was in a sub category that not many of the fans know about apparently. Well, dang! Spread the word!

"_Come on! We've found the place! Let's go in!" Bronx radioed to one of the officers assisting her, Bentley. _

"_Alright, Chase…" came the garbled reply on her radio._

_Bronx felt her adrenaline kick into high gear. They were going to catch the guy…no more girls were going to be killed. It was going to stop tonight._

_An angry thunderstorm raged outside, soaking Bronx as she approached the house but she didn't notice. _

_Bronx opened the door and shouted, "Police!" Then, an impact…and darkness…_

_She awoke her head pounding. She moved slightly, realizing that her hands were bound above her and her feet were dangling below her…_

_A rattling sound could be heard as she sluggishly moved her limbs, which Bronx immediately knew were chains. _

"_Hello, tough cop…it's time to play…"_

_Oh, shit! It's him! Her mind screamed._

_Bronx risked opening an eye. What she saw chilled her blood. The man she was after was standing close to her, holding a surgical knife._

_The next minute, said knife plunged into her side…_

Bronx immediately sat upright, screaming. Her cat, Rufus jumped off of her bed having been startled by the noise.

Sweat drenched her body as she sat there and simply shook with fear. Never, ever had she had a nightmare from a case. Never, had the events of ruthless killers scared her like this.

_But then again, Bronx…you were never a victim…_

Taking a deep, shaky breath she tried to calm her racing heart.

"It was just a nightmare…you're alright." She told herself, even though she hardly believed it.

Bronx took several more deep breaths before she began to calm down. Turning, she looked at her digital clock, which told her that she'd been napping for about two hours.

Knowing that she wasn't going to go back to sleep, she got up and decided to make herself coffee.

Rufus was in the kitchen when she got there. Bronx bent down and scratched the top of his head.

"Sorry, Rufus I didn't mean to scare you." She told the cat, who was now purring.

As she made her coffee, she thought about Leonardo and how she wished he was there with her at that moment.

Remembering her newfound comfort strategy, she thought of his voice…heard it in her mind just as she'd done on two previous occasions when the terror had tried to consume her.

Just the same, she felt the tension ease from her body.

Again, just as before, her body warmed and awakened in a way that hadn't ever happened to her before.

_No, don't you feel that again! That's just not right; Bronx…and you know it. _

Bronx sipped her coffee and steered her thoughts to just how she would hold it together when she returned to work that day. That is, if Chief Baker let her come in. Sure he hadn't taken her off the case, but that didn't mean he wouldn't exercise this authority and make her take a couple days off.

Bronx frowned at that thought. She needed to work this case…she needed to find this guy…now, more than ever before.

Just then, she heard a tapping sound on her kitchen window. Turning her head, she smiled as she saw Leonardo's face.

Using gestures, she let him know she was going to open her back door. With more enthusiasm that she cared to admit, she did just that.

"Nice place, Bronx." He said with approval once he was inside.

"Thanks." She pointed at the coffee machine. "Would you like a cup?"

Leonardo nodded. "Sure, I'm a rather large fan of it…especially after our morning practices started at 6am."

Bronx scrunched her nose. She hated early mornings.

"That has to be classified under cruel and unusual punishment."

Leonardo laughed and Bronx found it to be a rather pleasant sound. "What brings you by?"

"I came to check up on and see how you were doing." Concern filled the turtle's eyes.

Bronx felt her heart warm. "I'm doing alright…except for my nightmare that woke me up just a few minutes ago."

"Are you okay?" he asked, softly touching her elbow.

_I am now that you're here…_

Bronx took a step closer to Leonardo. "I'm doing much better, thanks."

Leonardo stared at her, enjoying the way her hair was mussed from sleep. Her pajamas, though not revealing, made her all the more alluring. And so did her mouth…which his eyes immediately dropped to.

Bronx noticed this and felt her heart leap. What would it be like to kiss him? She wondered.

He seemed to be thinking the same thing because he was inching towards her aswell. Soon, maybe an inch separated the two.

"This is…I've never…" Bronx started, but couldn't finish.

"Neither have I." he answered, not moving.

"But you're a…and I'm…" Protesting was beginning to feel futile. Especially went said turtle's arm was snaking around her waist.

"Yes, I know." The passion Bronx saw stirring in his eyes was as sharp as one of his Katanas.

"Then why are we doing this?" she asked, her hands now on Leonardo's plastron.

Leonardo couldn't come up with a logical answer for that. He was a _mutant turtle_ for Christ's sake! She deserved someone that didn't have to hide from the world as he and his brothers did. She deserved…someone other than him.

The turtle stepped back, putting space between them once again.

Bronx folded her arms. "Well, I'm going to head back to work today." She announced, changing the subject and hopefully diffusing the awkwardness that was in the air.

Leonardo got that concerned look on his face again. "Why? After what you've been through don't you think you should take some time off?"

Bronx sighed and looked the turtle in the eyes. "That's what my boss would undoubtedly say if I did go in. But, I need to catch this guy…I need to, Leonardo."

The blue masked turtle looked at the hard determination her eyes and knew she was serious. However, he didn't like it. Doing her job, he had a gut feeling, would put her in danger.

Well, worse danger…surely the guy was going to go after her since she escaped him…

The sound of breaking glass startled them both.

"What the hell?" Bronx whispered. Her and Leonardo looked at each other and then went to investigate the noise.

When they got into the living room, they both saw that one of her windows was indeed broken. Among the glass littered all over the floor, there was a rock.

Bronx carefully brushed the glass aside and picked up the rock using her sleeve. Upon inspecting the rock, she saw that something was taped to it. It was her cellular phone.

So the bastard was taunting her again.

"What do you mean, again?"

Bronx jumped, not realizing she must have spoken out loud. "He left a note under my windshield wiper earlier, after I left the police station this morning."

Leonardo frowned at this, his fear for her growing. "Bronx, maybe you should…"

Before he could finish the thought, he heard her run up the stairs then come back down, holding two good sized guns in each hand.

"Well," Leonardo said, clearly impressed, "it's fair to say you're…uh…armed and ready for him…"

"In my line of work," Bronx said, venturing outside, "you tend to have the odd wacko wanting to take revenge or what have you so it's always a good idea to have protection."

Leonardo followed her, drawing both of his Katanas.

Bronx swept her yard with her seasoned cop's eyes, both guns raised. Nothing seemed really out of place. There were no footprints in the soil that held a few small bushes around her house, which meant that he must have stood on her small lawn. She made a mental note to ask her neighbors if anyone out of the ordinary had been around.

After a sweep of the back yard, she lowered her guns. "He'll be long gone." Bronx said to Leonardo. "He's pretty smart little maniac."

Leonardo nodded and once again sheathed his twin swords. Slowly, the two went back inside where Bronx phoned her boss, informing him of the morning's events. Which, she knew she should have done sooner but there had been distractions. Her gaze went to Leonardo for a moment before returning to the cup of coffee once again front of her.

When she hung up, her gaze went again to the turtle.

"This place is going to be swarming with cops in a few minutes…" Bronx hated having to tell him he needed to go because, try as she might to deny it she couldn't, she wanted him there. Leonardo, for some reason, was a great source of strength for her. He made this nightmare not so bleak…never mind that he turned her on…

Bronx shook herself before those thoughts could go any further.

Leonardo nodded in understanding and turned to go. Before he did, he reached out and touched her cheek.

"Stay safe…I'll be back later, brothers in tow." And with that, Leonardo snuck out her back door and vanished.

Bronx touched her cheek where his fingers had just been. Man, this turtle, whether she liked it or not, was going to be her undoing…


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: the description of their lair in this chapter will probably not be super accurate to the movies or the cartoons so bare with me as I take some "creative license" and do a bit of my own thing with it.

It was well into the evening when the copes finally left her house. No prints, no nothing was found at the scene or on the rock or her phone just as Bronx had suspected. Despite that being frustrating, they still had enough against the bastard to book his ass in jail for life.

It was only matter of finding him again so they could do just that.

Chief Baker, who had arrived first, didn't let her stay at her house. He'd dragged her to a hotel near the police station and insisted she stay there until this whole mess was over.

"You're off the case." Baker had told her when they'd gotten there.

Bronx had been about to argue when she saw that steely look in his eyes which meant he meant business.

"But…" she'd said quietly, "I need to help you…"

Chief Baker had only shaken his head and walked inside with her to get a room. And so, that's where she was at the present time.

The clock read 11:30pm and Bronx sighed anxiously. There was no way in hell she was going to get any sleep so she didn't bother even trying. She sat on the edge of the bed, still dressed, nursing a semi-cold glass of water.

That's when she thought of Leonardo. Would he find the note she'd left him? Bronx sincerely hoped so. Her need to see him was strong, though she refused to analyze why.

It had instructions for him to phone her on her "back-up" cell as she liked to call it. It was one she kept around in case her other one happened to lose battery power, or in this case, become evidence in a murder case.

That way, they could meet somewhere safe if he so chose.

A moment later she heard the song jangle of her ring tone. Feeling a little better, Bronx dug it out her overnight bag and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Leonardo. How are you?"

Bronx sagged against the pillows with relief at the sound of his voice. "I'm lousy…I got taken off the case."

"What? Why?"

"Because of what happened last night. A detective who is too close to a case and can't have an objective view cannot work on said case."

Leonardo made a noise that she figured meant he understood. "But why didn't they pull you off when you were…you know…attacked?"

Bronx shrugged even though she knew he couldn't see her. "I have no idea…he told me it was because I was the best in city at what I did…but I think he took me off this time because he knows what I do if I get taunted by a guy we're after…I tend to get…uh…angry and go full steam ahead after the guy."

Leonardo chuckled at that. "That sounds like something Raphael would do."

Bronx remembered him as the red-masked turtle she'd seen when she'd first awakened at their lair.

"Yeah, I bend the rules a little."

Again, soft laughter met her ears. "So, they took you to a hotel?"

"Yes they did…its right across the street from the police station."

"So, where would you like to meet us?"

Bronx thought about that for a moment. "There's an alley near here with a manhole."

"Alright," Leonardo agreed, "See you there in a few minutes." They both hung up.

Bronx hurriedly got herself ready and left the hotel. She may have to stay here, but she wouldn't compromise her own freedom.

When she arrived there, the boys were waiting as promised. Quickly, so as not to be seen, they lifted the manhole lid and made their way into the sewer.

Their lair was actually impressive when one got a real chance to look at it. The old subway architecture was stunning and reminded her of being inside some ancient European cathedral.

However, it was an old subway as Leonardo had told her. Four old out-of-service subway cars served as their bedrooms while the terminal was their training room and general hallway. What had been the toll booth was now Splinter's room.

There was also a lot of, well, stuff around. In one corner, there was a huge pile of various dismantled electronics. In another, there was a pile of everything from manikins to tacky and brightly coloured lamp shades.

In the middle of all that chaos was a makeshift "living room" with a battered tan coloured couch and a small television with a couple of video games systems hooked up to it. The games were piled haphazardly next to them.

"Just like real boys," Bronx commented, "lousy decorators and completely disorganized."

"Hey, we like it that way!" Mikey said and laughed merrily.

Bronx laughed too. "But, I'll give you points for making it cozy." She said, sinking into their couch.

"So, how've you been?" Donny asked, looking concerned.

Bronx sighed and yawned. "As good as anyone can be in my situation." She said wearily.

"Perhaps some tea would help?" Bronx turned and saw Splinter standing next to the couch.

_God he's a big rat_…Bronx shook herself. It was still going to take some time before she got used to him. At least he was a very nice, calm rat and she did like tea.

"Sure, that would be great." Bronx offered him a smile.

Splinter returned it with a very knowing look. "Still uncomfortable with rats, I see."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"I take no offense." Splinter assured her and went to make her tea.

Leonardo took a seat next to her on the couch. Bronx immediately felt the day's tension slip away and sighed happily. Without really thinking, Bronx leaned against his shoulder as if it would absorb some of his strength.

Leo stiffened in surprise but let her stay where she was. "You know…" She said after a long moment of silence, "my mother is one of the toughest people on the planet. She would be aghast at what I'm doing right now."

"Why would that be?"

_Drawing strength from you…_

"Because I'm truly terrified of that man…"

Leonardo gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Hey…you have every right to be afraid of him."

"Yeah…but not as much as I am…" Bronx turned to face the turtle. "I've seen plenty of nasty things while being a Homicide Detective. I've also dealt with the crazy bastards that did them. Those times, I didn't bat an eyelash. I was tough. I was able to do my job without letting feelings, especially fear get in the way. It's…part of my reputation…being tough. But this time…I'm shaken to the core…"

"But, if I'm not mistaken, Bronx this is the first time you've been on the other side of things…this is the first time you've been a victim…am I right?"

"Yes."

"And that's why you're afraid, I would think…because you haven't had to deal with feelings like this before…"

Bronx sighed, knowing he was right…but, it made her feel better.

"You should be a counselor or something."

Leonardo gave a soft chuckle at her comment. "That's what my brothers tell me. Ever since I can remember I've been the one they came to for advice or for resolution to some petty fight they were having."

"So, you're the unspoken leader as it were?"

Leo nodded. "That's pretty accurate I'd say."

Bronx smiled at the blue-masked turtle. So, they seemed to have that in common: unspoken leadership. Bronx began to fear that she could feel a lot more than lust for this turtle if she wasn't careful.

It was then that she realized she'd been unconsciously inching closer to Leo. They were now only inches apart. Bronx could see the heat in his eyes and how they were drifting to her mouth.

His hands came up and caressed her cheeks. They were rough, but pleasantly so. Bronx shifted so that she was sitting in his lap.

"Bronx, I don't…" he started to say, but she placed a finger on his mouth, silencing him.

"Just kiss me." She ordered. Leonardo groaned at her command and gently pressed his lips against hers. Bronx shuddered in delight and deepened the kiss.

It was sweet, hot, long, deep, and passionate and neither could get enough. Bronx boldly straddled him, desperate to be as close to him as she could be. Leo responded by wrapping his arms around her.

Neither heard the startled gasp of a rat carrying a tea tray. Splinter couldn't believe his eyes. Was his son really kissing a woman on their couch?

Before he could say or do anything, the three others walked in, gasping as he had done.

Leonardo tensed at that moment, sensing their presence. Slowly, he broke the kiss and stared over Bronx's shoulder. Sure enough there were his three brothers and Splinter staring at them, shocked.

"What is it?" Bronx asked, nipping his lip gently.

Leo bit back a groan. If she wasn't careful, his brothers and father would get an even bigger eyeful than they already had.

"We have an audience." He answered. Bronx looked over her shoulder at them.

Complete mortification came over her. Not from kissing Leo, but from them seeing her do it.

Bronx slowly moved so that she sat next to Leo. Nobody spoke for a long moment since nobody knew just what to say.

"You know this is not right." Splinter said, breaking the silence.

Leonardo sighed, lowering his head for a brief moment. Bronx, undeterred by Splinter, held his hand and squeezed it.

"This is dangerous territory, Leonardo. Caring for her could make us all vulnerable."

"But, we care about April and that hasn't caused any harm."

The rat narrowed his eyes. "This is different. Love can blind a warrior more effectively than friendship. This ends now."

Bronx stiffened. Nobody, but nobody told her who she could and could not see. Standing, she strode over to the rat and stared down at him.

"Would you care to explain to me where you get off telling me or Leo what to do?"

All four of the turtles gaped at her. Nobody had ever spoken to Splinter this way, for any reason. Tension filled the air.

Splinter, however, wasn't intimidated in the least. After all, he had four sons that were larger than him and trained ninjas.

"Leonardo is first and foremost loyal to his family. He and his brothers need to be so we can survive." Splinter gestured behind him to Raph, Donny, and Mikey. "Without that, we can put ourselves in danger and I will not allow that."

Bronx bit her lip while she considered what the rat was saying. Sure, she was angry as hell, but she would at least try to see things the rat's way…she owed Leo that, she figured.

"I can understand the family loyalty and survival thing…" Bronx said finally, "but I resent the fact that you think I'd endanger Leo or his brothers…I would never allow them to be hurt."

Leonardo was at that moment proud of Bronx. He could tell she was angry, but she was holding it back so she could hear his father's side of the issue. It was a true testament of how mature she was.

Splinter, funnily enough, was beginning to think the same thing of the woman in front of him. The look her eyes told him that she had meant what she had just told him.

"Even if you do not wish it upon them, it could still very well happen. Therefore, I must look out for my son's safety. You may be a friend to us, but nothing more."

_But how in the hell am I supposed to resist him when his kisses make my entire body light up like a Christmas tree?_

Still…she didn't want him out of her life. It was only because Splinter meant so much to Leonardo did she even consider doing what she was about to do.

Bronx nodded slowly, already regretting her decision to agree with Splinter.

"Alright…friendship it is."

Bronx bowed to the rat to show her respect. Splinter bowed in return.

And with that, Bronx decided to head home just so she wouldn't go back on her word and end up jumping Leo.

Damn…how did he manage to crawl under her skin and ignite her desire so easily?

Bronx had no idea…all she knew is that she had to do honor her vow to Splinter and keep her hands off of him…

And that, she knew, would be the most difficult thing she'd ever done…


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: here is yet another chapter for you! I hope you enjoy it.

The man peered around the building corner, staring intently ahead of him at the building his prey was in.

So this is where the police thought they could hide her from him…

Ha! That would never happen! She _would_ be his…

The tough cop had to die…she had to. Nobody was supposed to escape…nobody.

He gripped the small, bloody-stained surgical knife in his hand. The man sniffed it, remembering that night. A feeling of pure power came over him and he smiled.

_It's only a matter of time, bitch…and then you'll die…like you were supposed to._

Bronx flopped herself down onto her hotel bed, reaching over to scratch Rufus behind her ears. Normally, the hotel didn't allow animals, but since Bronx had nowhere else to take Rufus, she came with her.

"I'm having a not-so-good week, cat." Wow! Now there was an understatement if she ever heard one.

"I have to keep my hands off of Leo, now." Rufus gave Bronx a look that said she indeed felt sorry for her mistress. The cat also patted her hand with her paw.

Bronx smiled gratefully at the feline and then reached for the hotel phone. "How would you like some room service?"

Rufus let out a soft meow as a response and intently watched Bronx while she went about ordering some. After Bronx was finished, she sat back on the bed. Damn, this whole hiding out thing was boring…

Getting an idea, she dialed her boss. Even though she wasn't officially involved in the case, that didn't mean she couldn't know how it was going.

It was Evelyn who answered.

"Hello, New York Police department, how can I help you?"

"Hello, Evie, its Bronx."

"Well, hello there dear. How are you?" The woman's worry and affection for Bronx came through, soothing her.

"I'm doing alright. I was wondering if Chief Baker was still around."

"Are you going to ask for a few days off?"

"Uh, no…I actually was hoping he could tell me how the case was going."

Evelyn sighed. "I can tell you that. It's not going anywhere. Chief Bake was complaining to me about it earlier."

"But, is he there?" Bronx sat up on the bed, awaiting her answer.

"Yes, he is dear. I'll patch you through." Elevator music played for a moment or two before Bronx heard her boss pick up.

"Chief Baker."

"Hey, boss…its Bronx. How's the case going? Evelyn said that it wasn't going anywhere."

Her boss sighed. "That's true. It's pretty much at a dead end. We checked all of his known haunts and a few that would match his modus operandi, but nothing came up."

Bronx swore softly. "I want so much to be able to help you…"

"I know you do, Bronx, but you can't…we went over this."

Bronx growled this time. "Will you at least keep me updated?"

"Sure, Bronx…I can do that…and be careful, okay?" Bronx smiled. The old man feared for her safety even though she was a black belt and could shoot better than he could. It was all done out of his affection and genuine fatherly love for her. That made her feel good and kept her from doing anything stupid while this whole mess was going on.

"Yes, I will Chief and thank you." Bronx hung up. With that out of her system, all she had to do was wait for room service…and brood about Leonardo while she was at it.

God, how she wanted him…

Thoughts of their recent kiss came to her mind and her body stood up and cheered, demanding more. Bronx clenched her teeth against it. There was nothing she could do about her situation, but that didn't stop the desire.

So just how was she going to survive just being Leo's friend?

That was the million dollar question. Hopefully, she could otherwise she knew that Splinter would probably forbid the two of them to see each other, period.

She could really pick them, Bronx thought bitterly. The first man she'd had feelings for had turned out to be in love with her best friend and now this current one she couldn't have because he was a mutant turtle whose survival depended on having as little vulnerabilities as possible.

Life sure sucked sometimes.

"Geez, Leo! You're gettin' crabbier than me!" Raphael said after the turtle in question had growled at him after a bit of needling that he usually ignored.

Leonardo didn't much care what Raph thought at the moment. After all, he hadn't been denied the company of a woman that made him feel more alive than he had ever felt before.

The kiss had haunted him since it happened and was haunting him now. And as a result, his mood had gotten more and more sour hence the growling.

Though he understood the reasons for what was happening, he didn't like it.

Leonardo walked past Raph to enter the training room. Perhaps a little beating up of the punching bag would help.

A long while later, Leo emerged, covered in sweat but feeling a little calmer than before.

"Do you feel better, my son?" Splinter stood in the living room, giving Leo a look of concern.

_No, actually…I feel really shitty, thanks to you and our way of life… _

Leonardo simply looked at his sensei and then headed into the shower.

Donny whistled from where he was tinkering with a radio. "Wow…he must really be gone on this girl, master."

Splinter sighed, knowing that Donatello was right. It was clear to him that his son really had strong feelings for the woman he'd seen him with.

However, it could not be if the both of them wanted to be safe. Splinter hated having to deny his son something as precious as romantic love, but…that was a sacrifice that had to be made when one had a life such as theirs.

The old rat had faith that this would pass and that Leonardo would be the stronger for it.

Unfortunately for Splinter, Leonardo didn't share those same sentiments. For the blue-masked turtle was already running down the sewer tunnels, heading in her direction.

Bronx was walking, and rather despondently, down the street when she felt someone's eyes on her. Her cop instincts kicked in, and she reached for her gun all the while she looked around her.

Bronx felt her heart leap when she saw a very familiar shape in a fedora and trench coat in the shadows of the alley beside where she stood.

"Leonardo?" She whispered. Bronx was rewarded with a nod. Lowering her weapon and putting it back into its holster, she walked towards him.

"How are you doing?" he asked, once she reached him.

"I'm alright. There hasn't been any progress on finding the guy yet, which of course makes me antsy."

Leonardo gave her a smile of understanding.

"So…what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay…"

Bronx stared at the turtle before her, wanting nothing more than to throw herself into his arms and never leave.

"Ah, my knight in shining armor."

Leonardo chuckled at that. "I guess you could say that," he gestured at her two large but holstered guns, "but it appears you're able to handle yourself."

Bronx touched each of the guns, and grinned. "Yeah, that's true. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it."

Oh, how Leo wanted to reach out and touch her, kiss her… "Bronx, I…I'm…"

"You're having trouble with this whole hands-off thing?"

Leonardo took a step closer to her. "I won't deny that I want you…"

"Good," Bronx walked up to him until there was only an inch between them, "because I want you, too."

"Bronx," Leonardo reached out and touched her hair, which was soft and luxurious, "I can't jeopardize my family…for this." His thumb stroked her cheek.

Bronx closed her eyes, enjoying his touch. "I know that…" She rested her head against Leo's plastron. "That's the only reason I'm not dragging you up to my hotel room to take advantage of you."

The two stood for a long time, just holding one another not saying a word. It was Bronx who finally broke the silence.

"Say…there's no rule that says we can't have coffee."

Leonardo smiled at that, slowly releasing her. "That's true."

And with that, Bronx walked to a nearby coffee place and brought back two steaming cups.

Leonardo held the hot beverage in his hand while they made their way to a rooftop that he liked to hang out on and that would keep people from seeing him.

Bronx looked around, able to see a good portion of the New York skyline.

"It's beautiful up here."

Leo blew on his coffee. "Yes, it is…my brothers and I come here a lot."

"I can see why." Bronx faced him and held out her coffee. "To friendship, whatever that'll mean."

Leonardo gently tapped his coffee against hers before sipping it.

Both sat in silence while the sun set, lighting the sky up with reds, pinks, and oranges. Bronx leaned against Leonardo's shoulder, deciding that this closeness wouldn't hurt.

In answer, he wrapped his arm around her waist.

It was in this position his brothers saw him in from another rooftop not far away.

"Awh," Mikey said, ever the romantic, "They look so happy…"

"Yeah…he looks like he's…at peace." Donny agreed.

Raph folded his arms and shook his head. However this couldn't stop him from smiling.

"He's in love with her."

Both Donny and Mikey started and then looked at one another and then finally at Raph.

"You really think so?" Mikey asked, in awe.

Raph nodded. "Yup…our fearless leader is head over heels."

"So, what do we do? Splinter won't like this…" Donny pointed out, his voice grave.

Raph grumbled for a moment before answering. "I say we, uh, help Splinter see differently."

Mikey looked at his brother as though he'd grown an extra head. "Raph, are you feeling okay? You're being nice!"

Raph rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know Mikey. But hey, Leo's stuck his neck out for us enough times…let's do this for him."

Donny and Mikey couldn't argue with their brother's logic, even if it did sound weird coming from him.

All three brothers were now excited and ready to plan how to get a lonesome turtle and a tough cop together…


	7. Chapter 7

"…And that's my final decision."

Bronx sighed warily as she stared at her boss. He had just finished going through a long speech about how she needed to take a few days off and how she'd have several cops 'watching out for her' as he called it. Bronx knew that actually meant 'I don't want you going anywhere I don't want you to, which means nowhere at all with the exception of your hotel room.'

She knew this had been coming, but that didn't mean she liked it. Bronx hated having people baby her like this. She could bloody well take care of herself!

If she wanted any rescuing, she would just go to Leo…

Bronx bit her lip. She had promised herself she'd cut down the time she thought about him, but it appeared her brain had disregarded her wishes.

"If he comes after me, I get to take him down."

Chief Baker stared at her a long moment. He knew that she would do just that regardless of what he wanted. Still, it terrified him to think about it.

"Fine," he growled, hoping he wouldn't regret what he was about to say, "you have my authority to arrest him should he encounter and or threaten you. But, you must promise to request back-up if anything…I mean, _anything_ goes wrong."

Bronx nodded. "I can do that." Then she stood and hugged her boss, who returned it wholeheartedly.

Bronx gave her boss a warm smile. "So, what am I going to do with myself in the meantime? You know how easy it is for me to get bored." She teased.

Chief Baker chuckled. "Maybe you can take up knitting…Evelyn could teach you."

Bronx laughed. Evelyn was the last person who would ever consider knitting. She considered it an 'old lady thing' and refused to do it.

As Bronx left the office, she had an image of Splinter knitting in her mind and she laughed. He was even more unlikely to do that than her feisty secretary.

"It's nice to hear you laugh, dear." Evelyn commented as Bronx passed her desk.

Bronx grinned at the old woman. "It feels good to laugh. After all, we were talking about you and likelihood that you'd knit."

Evelyn scrunched her nose. "That's for old ladies."

Bronx laughed at that as she left the building. It really was good to know people like Evelyn, she thought. They kept her sane and made coming to work a little easier.

Well, Bronx had a whole week before she had to that again…

So, what in the hell would she do with herself?

_You could track down Leo… _

Bronx sighed, knowing just how much she wanted to do just that but knew she should resist. Even though their last encounter had ended with just coffee, that didn't mean that she could hold back next time…

Grumbling, she entered the hotel and went up to her room. Maybe some laps in the roof pool would be good idea. That would probably make her feel better.

Encouraged by that thought, she hunted down her swimsuit and her towel.

While she got it on, she hissed as a sting of pain hit her side. Bronx sighed as she stared down at her bandage and remembered the doctor's orders to keep it out of water.

"Crap…that ruins my plan for swimming." But hey…she could always soak her feet in the hot tub…

Feeling slightly better, folded her towel over her arm.

"See you in a while, Rufus." She said to the cat, which was curled up on the bed.

Once she got up there, Bronx tossed her towel down on a lounge chair and looked around. There wasn't any else up there but herself at the moment, which was the way she liked it.

The warm afternoon sun beamed down on her, warming her skin as she walked to edge of the hot tub. Slowly, she sat down and dipped her feet in the hot, bubbling water.

_Oh, damn…_Leo thought as he stopped short on a rooftop, spotting Bronx.

She was wading in the hot tub…and wearing a black string bikini while she was doing it. The wave of lust that hit him was strong and nearly made him breathless.

Leo watched while Bronx idly moved her legs back and forth through the hot tub's water. She also had a fabulous body to go with the bikini. Her body was slender and muscular, but she still had all the right feminine curves.

_She's going to be the death of me… _Leo thought miserably. Not sure why he was doing it, he leaped down and landed on the deck hear the hot tub.

Bronx started at the sudden sight of the turtle before her.

"Whoa, you scared me there, Leo."

"I apologize for that…" Leo sighed warily.

"It's alright…" Bronx noticed his anguished expression. "What's the matter?"

"This…me…" Leo sat on the edge of the tub, dangling his feet and part of his calves into the water.

"We can still see each other, Leo…we just can't…you know…canoodle." Oh god that sounded lame! Who said canoodle anymore?

"I'm supposed to be the eldest, therefore setting an example for my younger siblings," Leo explained, setting his Katanas down on next to him, "and yet, here I am defying my own father…"

"But you're not…" Bronx didn't get a chance to finish. Leo drew her against him and crushed his mouth against hers. He kissed her long and deep before releasing her.

"Now I did…" he said, resting his forehead against hers. "What kind of leader and teacher does that make me?"

Bronx held his face in her hands. "You aren't solely responsible for raising them…your father is. Don't burden yourself like this. All you have to be is just their brother, Leo."

Leonardo sighed before looking her in the eyes again. "Yet here I am putting them in danger because I can't keep myself from not crossing the fine line between being your friend and being…more than that."

Bronx hugged him tightly. "It's not all your fault…" she drew away and looked at Leo sadly. "I never tried to stay away either…I mean, I'm a _cop_. I should know better than to try to get close to someone while I'm being chased by a psychopath…"

Leo drew her back towards him, laying her head against his plastron. "So, why do we keep doing this?"

_Because I want you so bad I can't think rationally… _

"Maybe we're gluttons for punishment."

Leonardo chuckled at her comment. It was probably true.

"My theory is that your choice of bathing suits is at least somewhat responsible for my weakness." He accused, hoping to lighten the dark mood.

"Very funny Leo," Bronx sassed, glad for mood change, "but I didn't wear it to torture you. I wore it to swim in or rather wade in."

That comment drew Leo's eyes to her bandage. "Is it healing?"

Bronx gently touched it. "Yeah, it's getting there…I only have to wear this for another week…"

"That's good."

Bronx nodded. "But for now, I can only wade in this lovely water…"

Leo smiled at that and then, to tease her, sank down into it. He sighed happily.

Bronx narrowed her eyes at him and flicked a bit of water at him with her toe. "Lucky turtle bastard." She grumbled. Leo only grinned and then chuckled.

"Hey…I have an excuse…Splinter worked us hard this evening."

Bronx laughed and shuffled over until she was sitting next where his head was still out of the water.

"But hey, all that working out makes you all muscular and hot."

Leo looked up to see a sly smile on her face. Damn, he wanted to kiss her again…

_Crap, crap, crap! Don't look at me like that, Leo! It makes me want to…_

Bronx shook those thoughts from her mind.

"You keep smiling at me like that and I'm going to run out of self control." Leo told her.

"Sorry…" And she meant it. Her tempting him or him tempting her both were not good ideas. Especially since Leo had kissed her already that night.

Little did the two know, but a pair of predatory eyes was watching their every move.

The man looked on in shock at the sight in front of him. Just what the hell was the tough cop with?

It appeared to be, if his eyes weren't deceiving him, but a large, talking…turtle?

The man clenched his binoculars in his hands. It also appeared that there was chemistry between them.

_Who in the hell would be attracted to a freak like that?_

Well, he figured, it would be yet another reason she needed to die…

The man was curious as to how a being like the one before him came into being. Clearly the turtle was a result of some sort of botched experiment. The man shuddered. The thing was hideous…and of course, it might need to die too…

But first, he had to make sure the tough cop knew he was thinking of her. Grinning, the man slipped away, down the fire escape until he got the floor he knew she was staying on. The man peered into every window, trying to figure out which room was hers.

Eventually, he recognized the feline he knew was her cat. The man opened the window to her room silently and crept inside. A feeling of power came over him as he realized he was now in her sanctuary…the place she stupidly thought she was safe.

The cat slept on, unknowing of the man's presence. Not that it would have mattered either way…

Slowly and carefully, the man laid his 'gift' for the tough cop down on her bed. He smiled a twisted smile and left just as silently as he'd come.

_Soon, you bitch…soon… _


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: hello and welcome to yet another chapter! As a fair warning, there's a rather, uh, sensual shall we say scene in here. (But don't worry, it won't be all graphic and stuff, but still it might make some of you blush…) if you are uncomfortable in any way with that sort of stuff, then feel free to just skim past that part.

It was a little after midnight when Bronx finally headed back inside. Tired, and most definitely frustrated in the sexual sense, she grumbled and wondered if there was a huge ice cream sundae on the room service menu.

Tonight she planned on some major moping and whining to her cat about her man or rather turtle troubles.

That's when she caught sight of the object on the bed. Bronx felt raw fear hit her body like a freight train.

There, propped up against a pillow, was a picture of the branding iron with the number 13 on the end.

He had been there, Bronx realized; he had been inside her hotel room…

Anger began to mix with Bronx's fear. The man wasn't going to make her lose her cool…he was _not_ going to win…

"You rotten bastard…" She whispered to the darkness.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Bronx walked over to the photo. Judging from the background, she could easily tell it had been taken at some point during that faithful night.

The sound of Bronx's cellular phone ringing broke the silence. Quickly, Bronx picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Did you like my present?"

"You're a fucking psycho." Bronx hissed, trying not to show her shock at having the man call her own phone.

The man sighed on the other end. "Now, now…this isn't the time for name calling…"

"You think you can scare me with your little displays?" Bronx pushed the picture off the bed and onto the floor so she wouldn't have to look at it and remember as the man wanted her to do.

The man laughed. "Well, you certainly looked terrified when you walked in…"

"So you can see me, can you?" Bronx demanded.

"Yes," he said slowly, "I can see you."

"Well, see this…" Bronx stuck up her middle finger.

A dial tone met her ears. The bastard had hung up on her. Bronx let out a shaky breath.

If there was ever a time she needed Leo (and ice cream) it was right now…

Without thinking and not really giving a damn about the circumstances, she phoned Leo and explained what had just gone down.

The turtle just really have been moving fast, because he was there in no time flat. As soon as he was in the room with her, Bronx threw herself into his arms and just shook.

"It's okay…" he whispered to her. Bronx felt that same soothing effect as she had on those two previous occasions.

"Oh, god…he was _in _here…"

Leo wordlessly rubbed her back. "It's alright…you're not alone now."

"Yeah, that's true…" Bronx gave him a squeeze before letting go and sitting on the bed.

"Man, this emotional victim stuff sucks…I want to be my tough self again. I want to be able to march up to the bastard without fear and take him down."

"That's going to take time, Bronx."

"But, I don't have that luxury…he could kill again before I get over this."

Leo watched as Bronx went over to the hotel phone and dialled. He listened and then smiled as she ordered a large sundae with extra chocolate sauce.

"What?" she asked after hanging up the phone. "I definitely deserve a little ice cream indulgence."

Leo only laughed softly. "I agree…it just made me think of our friend, April. She's the same way when she stressed."

This caught Bronx's attention. "You've been in contact with another human, eh?"

"Yeah," Leo confirmed, "We've known her for a number of years now."

Bronx sat on the edge of the bed next to where Leo was standing and showed him the photo which she'd discarded on the floor earlier. "I really don't want to report to my boss right now…"

Leo gave her a look which meant he understood what she meant. If she phoned the Chief and told him what had transpired, cops would swarm the place and he'd have to make himself scarce and that was something neither of them wanted.

That's when a rather ludicrous idea occurred to Leo. "Say…you could stay with us."

Bronx looked up at the turtle that had a soft, pleading look on his face.

_Oh, how hard it is to resist you…_

"Thanks, Leo." She said and meant it.

A few moments later, a soft knock sounded at the door and a soft "room service" was heard.

Leo hid in the bathroom while the waiter came in and Bronx signed the bill, charging it to her room.

The waiter left a short moment later.

"It's safe to come out now." Bronx said through the bathroom door.

Leo immerged from the bathroom and walked back to where the still covered sundae sat. Bronx wasted no time in lifting the lid to reveal a huge three scoop sundae with lots and lots of chocolate as she had requested.

Leo watched and nearly groaned out loud as she watched her take a spoonful of the delightful desert. Her eyes closed in ecstasy as she took her first taste.

"This is very tasty…" Bronx took a second spoonful and offered it to him.

Leo took the spoonful and tasted what had to be the best ice cream he'd ever eaten.

"You were right…it's really good."

And with that, they shared the rest of the ice cream, laughing when one would get chocolate sauce on various parts of their face.

Little did they know, but their enjoyment didn't go unnoticed. In fact, they had an audience.

"Wow…looks like they're doing pretty well at getting together on their own…" Mikey commented from his perch on a neighbouring building. His brothers, Donny and Raph were standing next to him.

"Yeah, but we still have to work on Sensei." Donny added.

Raph frowned in thought for a moment. "Maybe if he could see how happy she makes him…"

Mikey grinned at that. "Great idea, Raph! Now we just have to find a way to get her to visit us…"

The brothers contemplated that one while the solution played out back in the hotel.

Bronx changed back into her clothes, packed her stuff back up and then swung her bag over her shoulder. But before she left, she picked up the photograph from the floor. With a glare, she ripped it up and tossed it in the trash.

_Take that, you sick son of a bitch…_ She thought triumphantly.

Leo and Bronx got to the lair just a short time later to the sounds of Mikey making supper in full swing. Latin music blared through a small stereo on the counter.

This made the blue-masked turtle smile. "He always plays that stuff."

Bronx grinned back and did a little dance to the tune. "I like it."

"Ah, Miss Chase…you have come to visit us again." Bronx turned and saw Splinter standing just a couple of feet from her, a friendly smile on his face.

"Hey, Splinter and yes, I have."

"She's going to be staying with us for a while, Master…if that's alright." Leo went on to explain her situation while the rat listened intently.

"Yes, she may stay, Leonardo." Splinter then turned to Bronx, taking her hands in his. She noticed that despite their obvious frailty, they were still strong and still had a firm grip.

"I will make sure that each of my sons keeps you safe during this time."

Bronx cocked an eyebrow at Splinter and showed him the two guns at her hips in their holsters.

"I'm a black belt aswell, but still…its better that the odds are five against one since this guy can…let's say…play with my emotions for obvious reasons."

Splinter nodded in understanding as he remembered the night that Leo had first brought her to the lair after her attack. She'd been badly beaten and he knew that nobody no matter how mentally strong they were could escape the emotional effects.

"You may bunk with whomever you choose, Miss Chase." Bronx almost gaped at the rat. He trusted her with that decision? Didn't he realize that she would pick Leo and probably end up…Bronx broke that train of thought and just thanked Splinter for his hospitality.

Now, Bronx would do everything she could to make sure that she kept that trust…and that meant keeping with the no touching Leo rule. This made the cop grumble. Her reasonable side said that if she kept it up, she could see the turtle in the first place… her, well, heart she supposed told her that was it really worth it if she couldn't touch him?

Walking into his room didn't help matters much. It was just as she'd remembered it only it was more…sensual now. Candles were lit and set on small tables next to his bed, filling the room with incandescent light.

_Oh, bugger…maybe I should just turn around and bunk on the couch…_ Bronx thought desperately.

She almost did just that when Leonardo walked into the room. For a moment, she couldn't speak and just gazed upon the turtle before her. The shadows from the candle light played off of his features and seemed to make his eyes seem darker and sexier than she already thought they were.

Good lord, the blue-masked turtle was a truly beautiful sight…

Tentatively, Bronx stepped closer to him until there was perhaps an inch between them.

"Under that tarp behind you is another bed." Leonardo said finally, breaking the tension and silence in the room.

Bronx nodded, still not having found her tongue. Slowly she made her way across the room and lifted the tan coloured tarp. Sure enough, a bed complete with pillows, sheets, and a comforter was underneath.

Bronx carefully removed her shoes and socks and shrugged off her jacket. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she wondered whether or not she should just sleep in her clothes or ask him to turn around. Either way, there would be some awkwardness or tension involved not that there wasn't enough already with her being in his room to begin with.

Leo, having sensed her indecision, turned around.

Taking the cue, Bronx removed the rest of her clothing and put on a comfortable tank top and sweat pants.

"You can turn around now." Bronx said, finally able to speak.

Leonardo did just that but instead of looking relieved he seemed tenser than before.

"Leo, are you…" Before Bronx could finish her sentence, the turtle was kissing her. Bronx couldn't help herself and kissed him back.

"God, I…Bronx…this…" Leo breathed. "I want you too badly…"

"Leo…I…fuck, I just…" Bronx lost her words as she felt Leo's hands make their way up her back and under her shirt.

Her skin sang and begged for more. Desperately, she clung to him not wanting to let go. Before Bronx knew what was happening, she found herself minus her pyjamas and flopped down on the blue-masked turtle's bed…

_Splinter's trusting you not to do this, Bronx…_ her conscience told her while Leo ran his fingers through her hair and devoured her mouth.

"Leo…" she said again, when he moved his mouth to her neck, "We-we…"

Leo softly hushed her. "I know…I know…"

"Then why…"

Leonardo closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "Because I'm sick of just looking at you and not…"

"I know the feeling…" Bronx arched her back, pressing herself against Leo while she kissed him hungrily.

Soon after that, both of their self controls began to get shaky until finally Bronx growled and literally tore away the last fabric barrier between them. Once that was gone, it shattered and by the soft candlelight they both gave into their desire...


	9. Chapter 9

Bronx slowly awoke the next morning to find two things very wrong: one, she was in Leo's bed and two…she had nothing on.

"Oh, crap…" Bronx muttered as the realization that she'd finally let her passions overcome her reason and had spent the night making love with Leo.

Quickly, she climbed out of bed and got dressed. Hopefully none of his brothers or his father had seen or heard anything from the previous night's events.

However, the wink that Michelangelo gave her when she left the room told her that maybe her hopes were dashed.

Raphael gave her thumbs up and so did Donatello. She was officially busted. Bronx grumbled some curses and went in search of Leo.

She found him in his sensei's room, sitting opposite the rat. Bronx knew things were bad as soon as she saw the rat's seething expression.

"You have violated my trust, Miss Chase." The rat said, sounding angry and disappointed at the same time.

Bronx flinched at his tone. It was amazing how Splinter could make you feel like you were about two inches tall.

"Yeah, I know…"She hadn't meant for things to get out of hand, but they had. And now Bronx knew that she would pay the price for it.

The world suddenly seemed dimmer and sadder as she waited for Splinter to tell her that she could never lay eyes on his son again…that Leonardo could never be a part of her life from this point on.

Still, she couldn't find it in her heart to regret that evening. It had been truly wonderful and she would treasure the memory forever.

"Miss Chase, I must insist that you depart. I will not have my son's safety compromised for this."

Tears stung the cop's eyes. So the rat had done it. He'd banished her. Bronx glanced at Leonardo and noticed that tears were running down his cheeks.

"It's not fair, master…" he whispered softly.

The rat gently laid a hand on his son's head. "It is for the best, Leonardo. I know it may be hard to see it now, but one day you will…and you will be better and stronger for it. The same will happen for you, Miss Chase."

"Leo's right…" Bronx said, her voice shaking, "It's not fair…it's harsh."

The turtle stood, walked to her, and took her in his arms. Bronx held him tightly not wanting to let go. It was in that moment that cold reality of what Splinter was making her do, hit her full force.

The reality that Splinter was forcing her to be away from the one person who could help her get through being stalked by a murderous psycho, the reality that Splinter was forcing her to let go of the man, well turtle, that she loved…

Bronx's eyes went wide as that last stark truth came into her mind. She loved Leonardo...she truly, deeply, and completely loved him…

It was definitely a cruel fate to learn it now, just when she had to go…and leave him behind…

"I love you…" Bronx said shakily, deciding that she would tell him right away because she knew she'd never get another chance.

"I love you, too." Leonardo whispered back. In that moment, he cursed his way of life and wished with all his heart that it wasn't so dangerous…that his family could be safe if he opened up and learned to love as he had.

He knew that he would never be the same when she walked out the door to the lair and back to the surface. His heart was already breaking thinking about the endless nights he would have to spend without her next to him…

Leo's brothers watched the exchange, their hearts heavy. Why couldn't their master accept that their brother loved her? Didn't he see the pain he would cause him by making her leave?

"This ain't right." Raph growled.

Mikey and Donny both nodded their heads in agreement. The three brothers exchanged glances and then walked into the room. They wanted their eldest brother to be happy and they were going to make sure he would be.

"Master…I gotta agree with 'em…the way this is happenin'…it's wrong." Raph said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Yeah…we've seen how Leo acts around her…she makes him happy. He needs that." Donny added.

Mikey stepped forward and stood next to Leo, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder in support. "He's just gonna be totally bummed all the time if she goes…"

Leonardo gave each of his brothers a grateful look. It meant a lot to him that they had decided to back him up.

"And we can take care of ourselves if somethin' goes wrong…and so can Bronx. You've seen 'er guns…there's no way anyone's messin' with her."

Bronx smiled at the red-masked turtle and his siblings. It was wonderful that even in the short time she'd known them they had come to respect her and her feelings for Leonardo.

Splinter looked at each of his son's faces. Raph, Mikey, and Donny were all fixing him with determined stares while Leo just looked broken. As if someone had stolen the joy out of him…

"As I told Leonardo and Bronx already…love can blind a warrior more effectively than friendship. I am sorry…but she must go."

Bronx gave the rat the iciest stare she could muster and then turned the tenderest one she could on Leo. She reached around her neck and undid a necklace. She held it up so Leo could see the small turtle charm on it.

"So you'll remember me…" she whispered and put the necklace around his neck.

Tears streamed down both of their cheeks when Bronx leaned up and kissed Leo deeply, not giving a damn that they had an audience.

It was only after that that she finally stepped away from him, turned around and walked out.

"Escort her to the surface, Raphael." Splinter instructed. The red-masked turtle simply growled and left to do just that.

When the two reached the alley, Raphael pulled her into a fierce hug. Bronx hugged the turtle back with just as much enthusiasm.

"See you on the flip side, Raph."

"Yeah…but don't worry…we're not gonna give up on this." He assured her before he slipped back down into the sewer.

Bronx smiled gratefully at the turtle and then walked dejectedly back to her hotel. It was time for a good cry and more ice cream.

Unfortunately, she only made it a few feet before she felt a slight prick in the side of her neck and her world go black.

The man grinned as he stared at the cop's unconscious form. It was time now…

Carefully, he made his way down from the rooftop and into the alley. He stood there and studied her while she slept from the tranquilizer he'd given her. She wouldn't escape this time…this time, his work would be finished.

He picked her up none too gently and carried her to his car where he flung her in the back seat like a bag of potatoes.

As he drove back to his new place, he grinned. He was winning…

Little did he know, but a certain red-masked turtle had seen everything. Cursing violently, he flipped open his shell cell and dialled the lair.

After the second ring, Donny picked up. "Hello?"

"The bastard's got her…tell Leo." He commanded. "I'm runnin' after them." After that, Raph hung up and did just that.

Donny, alarmed from his brother's phone call, ran into Leo's room.

Before Leo could tell the purple-masked turtle that he wanted to be alone, he spoke.

"The psycho's got her…"

This made Leo stand up, a look of raw anger and fear on his face. He didn't care if they couldn't be together…he wouldn't let her die. Quickly, he grabbed his Katanas, sheathed them, and ran out of the lair.

"What's going on?" Mikey asked Donny, curious. Donny told him and orange-masked turtle's eyes went wide.

"Let's go help them." Donny said and grabbed his Bo staff. Mikey grabbed his chucks and they were on their way.

Bronx groaned as she slowly came awake. Her vision was slightly blurry, but she was able to tell that she was in the back seat of a car. She could also hear whistling…

_The bastard must think he's won…well; he's in for a bit of a surprise… _

Bronx lay still so that he wouldn't realize that she was indeed awake again. As soon as he tried to reach for her, she would give him a well-deserved ass kicking.

Fear hung in the back of her mind, but Bronx refused to give in to it. She knew that when a victim panicked, it was the last thing they usually did.

A good half an hour later, the car came to a halt. The whistling continued as the man went to open the back door.

_It's now or never… _Bronx thought as she felt the man lean over her. With all of her might, she kicked him square in the chest, sending him ass first down on the ground.

"Why you little…" The man quickly got up and tried to lunge at her again. Bronx kicked him again, only this time she got him in the stomach.

While he was keeled over, groaning, Bronx pushed him with her feet back onto the ground and held him down with her foot.

"You're a fucking idiot, you know…" Bronx drew both of her huge guns out and pointed them at him. "You didn't even disarm me…you're a failure." It was dangerous to needle a murderer but Bronx couldn't help herself. She was angry and slightly scared.

The man began to laugh as he laid there. "That doesn't mean I didn't arm myself, you fucking bitch!" he hissed and drew a gun.

The two stood there for a long time, simply pointing their guns at one another, unwilling to flinch, waiting to see who would fire first.

As they did, the man noticed a dark stain forming on Bronx's shirt on her side. He thought back to the artful stab wound he'd given her the last time they'd met. She'd have needed stitches for it, he figured, and it looked like the cop had pulled them. This made him smile.

A drop of her blood dripped from the wound and onto his cheek.

Bronx's eyes went wide when she saw the drop. Before she could form a thought, the man aimed his gun at her gut and fired. Bronx fell back and let out a scream from the pain.

The man walked over to her and watched her clench her side. "Not so tough now, are you?" he taunted.

"Fuck…you." Bronx hissed and picked up one of her guns shot him in the leg.

The man cried out in pain and nearly fell over. He leaned against the trunk of his car, gasping. He looked back at the cop, who now had both guns pointed at him and she looked angry…not scared as he'd imagined.

Gripping his gun, he aimed at her, wanting to end her right then and there. Unfortunately, Bronx was faster and shot him twice in the head before his arm even got completely straight.

The man's eyes went wide and then sightless as he crumpled to the ground, blood pouring over the ground from the deadly wound.

Bronx lowered her gun and set it down next to her before her face crumpled and sobs wracked her body.

The nightmare was over…the man was gone…

She didn't feel triumphant, however. Killing him wasn't going to bring back the lives he'd taken. Still, it would keep him from harming anyone else…so, in that way, it wasn't completely pointless.

Bronx gently touched her side and flinched. Blood was getting everywhere. It was staining her jeans now and a healthy pool of it was on the ground…

That's when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. "Bronx, where are you?"

It was Leo. More tears stung her eyes. He'd come to save her…

"Are you okay, kiddo?" It was Raph this time that spoke. So, he'd brought his brothers with him.

She heard both Mikey and Donny calling her shortly afterwards.

"Here…I'm here…" Bronx called out as loudly as she could.

It was then that Leo appeared before her, the turtle charm on his necklace glinting in the light.

Bronx, despite her pain, felt her heart swell at the sight of him.

The blue-masked turtle looked at the man laying dead in his own blood a short distance away.

"You beat him." He said his voice filled with pride.

Bronx nodded, tears burning her eyes. "Yeah, but he still got me…" Bronx lifted her shirt slightly, to reveal the bullet wound in her side in the same spot where her stab wound was.

"Come on, you guys…we've got to help her!" in desperation, Leo placed his hand over the wound to apply pressure. The blood seeped through his fingers, not wanting to be contained.

To make matters worse, Bronx began to feel weak and very sleepy.

"Stay with me!" Leo shouted at her when he noticed her worsening condition.

Donny took one look at her wound and frowned. "She needs a hospital, Leo…"

Mikey appeared and took her hand, patting it gently. "He's right…she looks bad."

Leo nodded wordlessly and used his shell cell to call 911. He stayed by her side, stroking her hair until the sirens of the ambulance could be heard.

From the shadows, Leo and his brothers watched as they loaded her into the back and then drove off.

The blue-masked turtle felt his heart break all over again as he watched the emergency vehicle disappear. She was going to be officially out of his life now…

Not saying a word to his brothers, he began heading back to the city.

The three of them however understood that their eldest brother needed to be alone right now. He was hurting and badly…

Time had no meaning to the turtle at the moment. All he could feel was the deep pain in his heart. Leo ran faster and faster, building to building, until he reached the one they'd shared coffee on. Sinking to his knees, he let his grief free and cried harder than he ever had in his life.

The three brothers arrived home, all of them feeling distraught for Leo's suffering.

Splinter stood in the living room, looking concerned. "Where is Leonardo?"

"He needs to be alone, sensei." Donny answered. The rat was taken aback by the irritation in his voice, as if he himself were the villain.

"What happened, my sons?" Despite the obvious hostility, he wanted to know what had happened to create it.

"The fuckin' psycho got 'er. I phone Leo and told 'im and then I chased after 'em. We found Bronx lying there in 'er own blood...The wound was bad so we called an ambulance. They came an' took 'er away." It was Raph who said this, his voice a mixture of anger, sorrow, and a touch of fear.

"In a nutshell, Leo's heartbroken." Mikey said, looking sad.

And with that, the brothers left the rat alone in the living room to digest what they had told him.


	10. Chapter 10

_**One week later…**_

Bronx sat in Chief Baker's office, listening to his kind words of praise for her bravery that night. Any other cop would feel pride at that moment. She didn't, however. She felt like she'd gotten the short end of the stick.

Her heart ached like it had never ached before. Losing Leo had been worse than anything that the psycho bastard ever said or did to her.

Thinking of him now made Bronx want to cry all over again, but she resisted. She'd done enough of that after she and Rufus had finally returned home.

The week had been spent with her talking to detectives and the press about what happened. It was on the news a lot now, but Bronx never watched it. They always over dramatized it and made it seem like an adventure rather than what it really was…a big fucking nightmare.

When her boss was through, all she wanted to do was leave the station and get back to moping and being a self-proclaimed hermit. However, she had to stick it out for the afternoon so she could finish some paperwork regarding the case.

Grumbling, she walked past Evelyn's desk.

"What's the matter, dear? You look like someone skinned Rufus."

Bronx sighed, knowing she couldn't tell the old woman the entire truth. But, at least she could tell her part of it.

"I'm just tired of the press…it's really pissing me off having to tell that story over and over."

Evelyn walked out from behind her desk gently took her hand. "Yes, I can imagine that would be hard on you. Tell your boss to tell the press to leave you the hell alone."

Bronx couldn't help but grin at that. "I did…but the press didn't get the message."

The old woman made a disgusted face. "Of course they wouldn't, the lousy vultures." Evelyn hated the press just as much or maybe more than Bronx herself did.

"So why else are you blue?"

"I'm also tired and I want to head home and just relax with my cat…"

Evelyn lowered her glasses until they were on the edge of her nose and then she raised her eyebrows clearly telling Bronx she didn't believe her.

As Bronx stood there, she considered her options. She could walk away, telling her friend nothing and have her hound her for the rest of her natural life (and probably beyond if possible) or just trust Evelyn with the truth…

_Perhaps an edited version is in order… _Bronx thought as she stood there. Evelyn was now tapping her foot.

Bronx sighed and motioned for Evelyn to enter her office. The old lady followed eagerly behind her. Bronx closed the door and sat down behind her desk. Evelyn sat in the chair across from Bronx.

"Well, during my ordeal…I met someone. We fell hard for each other but because of…circumstances…we couldn't…it couldn't work out. I had to walk away…and it really hurts…"

"What sort of circumstances, dear?"

_If only you would believe me and not commit me…_

"His father disapproved of our relationship…"

Evelyn frowned at that. "That's never stopped you before…"

Bronx sighed. That was certainly true. She'd told Evelyn about previous relationships where she hadn't given a flying fig about the father and had just dated their son anyway. But these circumstances were different…they weren't mutant turtles whose safety depended on secrecy.

"Yeah I know, but it's different this time…anyway, I don't really want to talk about this anymore…"

Evelyn stared at the obviously heartbroken cop before her and noticed that her turtle necklace was missing. She knew that it had belonged to Bronx's deceased father and it was the cop's most prized possession. So why would it be gone?

"Where's your necklace?"

Bronx gently touched her neck. "I gave it to him. I wanted him to remember me." That was perhaps about as honest as she could get with the woman.

"You're in love with him, eh?" Evelyn asked, gently touching Bronx's hand.

Bronx nodded sadly. "Yes…" Slowly she stood and walked out of the room. Thinking about Leo let alone talking about him even thought it wasn't completely outright, hurt her heart.

She bid farewell to Chief Baker and headed home. As she walked, her eyes inevitably went to the city's rooftops. It had become a habit ever since she'd learned that was how the turtles got around unnoticed at night. There wasn't any sign of them at the moment, but Bronx knew that didn't mean they weren't there. That Leo wasn't there…watching her.

"I miss you…" Bronx whispered to the wind. She knew that he wouldn't hear her but she needed to say it anyway.

Finally Bronx let a new fresh batch of tears spill down her cheeks. Lord, she hadn't cried this much since the night her father had died in a tragic car accident when she was just ten years old.

That was when Bronx realized that she'd stopped in front of a very familiar alley. And to her surprise, three also very familiar turtles came out, minus Leo.

When they saw her, they gave her smiles of sympathy.

"How are ya holdin' up?" Raph asked once they reached her. Bronx wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks.

"I'm alright…the case is now wrapped up. I've spent the week talking to the press and telling them the same story over and over which has been less than fun."

Bronx lifted her shirt and showed the red-masked turtle her bandage. "The bullet wound is healing well, too. I have to take it easy for a while, but other than that…"

"That's good," the turtle smiled at her, "that you're healin'…not that you were bein' hounded by the press…we saw some of those interviews on TV."

Bronx bit her lip, wanting to ask about Leo but not sure if she should.

_To hell with it…you earned it after all this pain…_

"How's Leo doing?"

"He's miserable." Donny said truthfully. "He's missing you like crazy."

"Yeah…all he does is mope around the lair." Mike added.

Bronx frowned and let more tears fall. She didn't care who saw now. "I fucking hate this…" She drew in a shaky breath to try and calm herself. Unfortunately, she failed. She was still as upset as before.

"I know…we do too. We hate seeing our brother so hurt."

"I can imagine you would, dears. I'm thinking that it's time to do something about it."

All three turtles and Bronx started at the sound of the voice. The cop recognized it instantly.

"Evelyn? What are you doing here?"

"I came to help you out…and to see the little ones again who it seems aren't so little anymore."

Bronx looked at her secretary as though she'd grown two heads.

"I have a rather large secret to tell you, Bronx…you see, I knew them…years ago, when they were still small, no more than about two years old."

The cop's eyes went wide. Her and Splinter had been an item? How bloody weird could the world possibly get?

The old woman shrugged. "I was going to catch up with you and plot a way to get back this man but then I saw you in the alley with the three of them and I decided it was time for reunion."

Evelyn smiled at the three dumbfounded brothers. "Your master and I were together back when I was young…I helped him raise you four."

Silence filled the alley. As it did both Bronx and turtles themselves grew more and more confused. Had Evelyn just said what she had?

"Assuming we believe you, why did you leave?" Donny demanded.

Evelyn's eyes went misty. "I had to...the foot had used me to lure you and your master out…they captured you aswell. Splinter managed to get us out, but after that he decided that us being together was too dangerous…we parted ways…that was nearly 33 years ago."

All three brothers looked at each other in astonishment. The old woman held her hand out to the turtles. "My name is Evelyn, but you can call me Evie."

They all shook it.

"Say…" Mikey's eyes went wide as he spoke, "that would explain why all this is going on!"

"What's 'all this'?" Evelyn asked, confused.

Bronx bit her lip. "Ah, well…you see…the guy I'm love with is their brother, Leonardo."

"Well, I'll be damned." The old woman said, in awe. "But yes, I bet Michelangelo is right."

"So what do we do? How do we fix this?" Bronx asked, desperate for some answers and a possible ending to her misery.

"That I'm not sure about, dear, but we'll think of something."

"This is sure a small and oddball world." Bronx commented after yet more silence.

All the turtles nodded and mumbled agreements.

"Maybe I could talk to him…" Evelyn suggested.

Bronx looked up at her friend and co-worker. "You would do that…after all these years?"

Evelyn stuck her chin out in an obvious act of stubbornness. "Yes, dear I would. I refuse to let my past keep you from being happy."

Bronx hugged her, tears stinging her eyes anew. "What happened back then wasn't your fault…but thanks."

"Still, I feel obliged to help you."

Not wasting any time, all five of them re-entered the sewers to put their plan into action.

_Who would have thought I'd have such an unexpected ally…_Bronx mused. The gods must have decided to smile down on her today.

As they walked back to the lair, Evelyn entertained the boys with stories of their youth. Lots of them, Bronx noticed, could have happened to any ordinary child. It was as if they were human in every way except they were turtles on the outside…Well, not as if, she thought, that's exactly how it was.

Bronx's heart nearly burst when she saw the lair's door. If this worked, she'd have the love of her life back…if not, then she'd have to live with a broken heart, she feared, forever…

_Oh, I hope this works… _

The lair was quiet except for the sounds of someone in the dojo. Judging from the grunts, Bronx figured it was Leo working off some of the same pain she was feeling.

Her thoughts were confirmed when Splinter immerged from his room, a small cloud of what Bronx knew would be incense following him.

The rat was about to open his mouth and demand to know why she was back, but shut it when he saw who was standing next to the cop.

"Evie, is that you?" Splinter's voice was mixture of surprise and awe. His eyes had also gone wide and filled with what Bronx suspected were tears.

Evie had the same look on her face. "Yes, it is Splinter. It's been a long time…"

"Thirty-Three years…" Splinter walked towards her and gently touched her, as if trying to make sure she wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

Evie gently squeezed his frail hand. "I've come to talk to you…about something important."

This piqued the rat's interest. "And what might that be?"

"Bronx here, whom I work with, tells me she's in love with your son, Leonardo…and that you disapproved of the union…that you denied them both happiness." Evie folded her arms across her chest.

"You, above all others, should know why…" Splinter gave her a meaningful stare.

"I haven't forgotten about that night, Splinter…I know you blame yourself for it." The rat cringed at her painfully accurate statement. "I know that you think being in love only creates danger and vulnerability, but let me tell you something..."

Evelyn gently took his hands again, tears in her eyes. "Living without it is worse than anything the Foot could do…It isn't fair to deny your sons happiness just because they could _possibly_ come to harm or that Bronx could…as I'm sure you've been told, she can take care of herself…you need to let go of what happened to me and your sons all those years go…let them _and_ yourself be happy."

Splinter digested all the words that Evelyn had spoken to him. As he did, he realized that perhaps she was right…maybe, just maybe, it was wrong to worry so much about his sons…to worry that the past might repeat itself…they were grown now and he knew that they were more than capable of defending themselves if the Foot ever chose to cross paths with them again. After all, he'd trained them himself.

Maybe it was time to show his sons a little more faith…a little more trust…and to show the woman his son loved some aswell…

The rat looked into Evelyn's eyes and felt that old, buried longing. Perhaps even _their_ flame hadn't gone out yet…

"Ah, I believe you are right, Evie…" he looked beyond her for a moment at Bronx, Raph, Mikey, and Donny. "Can you forgive an old, worried father?"

Bronx smiled at the rat that looked so vulnerable before her. At that moment, she understood his motives. Though they were slightly misguided, they were understandable.

"Yes, I can…as long as you let me have your son back in my life…"

Splinter nodded. "Go to him."

A huge, joyful smile split the cop's face as she ran straight for the dojo.

Evelyn watched her surrogate daughter and smile before turning back to Splinter. "Thank you…" And with that, she kissed the end of his furry snout. This caused the old rat to blush.

"You are welcome…but, if I can be so bold as to ask if you will stay aswell…with me?"

Tears poured down the old woman's face. "I've been waiting 33 years for you to ask me that…"

And with that, the boys witnessed their master kissing a woman for the first time.

Meanwhile, Bronx entered the dojo, seeing the turtle she loved busy pummelling a large punching bag which promptly fell off the chains holding it up and landed on the ground with a thud.

Oh, how she'd missed him…

"It doesn't work so well if you knock it down." Her comment caused the turtle to whirl around.

"W-what are you doing here? Splinter…"

Bronx crossed the large training room and stood before him, smiling. "Your master is okay with this…"

The blue-masked turtle looked puzzled. "How…?"

"Let's just say I had a 'trump' card as it were." Bronx then told him the story of her secretary and Splinter.

"Wow…that's incredible…"

"Yeah…" Bronx put her arms around the turtle's neck. "So what do you plan to do about that fact that we're officially a couple again?"

Leonardo answered her by crushing his mouth to hers and kissing her silly.

And that was by far the best answer she ever could have gotten…


End file.
